Department for Transport

East Midlands Railway: WiFi

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability and reliability of Wi-Fi connectivity on East Midlands Railway Services.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: East Midlands Railway monitor the level of wi-fi connectivity on their Intercity services.

High Speed Two

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the Mitigation Strategy for the impact of HS2 on the natural water resources.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: HS2 Ltd’s approach to managing the impact of HS2 on the water environment is set out in a number of published documents, including Information Paper E4: Water Resources and Flood risk.The mitigation approach is driven by existing environmental law, Protective Provisions in the Acts which authorise the railway and additional commitments made to Parliament, including the project’s “Environmental Minimum Requirements”. As a result, HS2 Ltd’s contractors are required to fully assess risks to the water environment from all their activities and to mitigate risks through design or other interventions.As the regulator for the water environment in England, the Environment Agency reviews those risk assessments and mitigation strategies, and grants approvals to proceed when it is satisfied the risks are suitably managed and adverse impacts are unlikely to occur.

High Speed Two: Colne Valley

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government when HS2 Ltd will cease to be financially liable forpublic water sources in the Colne Valley and for the replacement of public water supplies.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: As it builds the new railway in the Colne Valley, HS2 Ltd has been working closely with Affinity Water to ensure that there continues to be no interruption to the provision of high-quality drinking water. Working alongside Affinity Water and the Environment Agency (EA), HS2 Ltd has funded a range of protective measures to ensure resilience of public water supply.

Department for Education

Smestow Academy: Biometrics

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Department for Education issuing advice that “live facial recognition technology is not appropriate in schools or colleges”, what assessment they have made of Smestow Academy in Wolverhampton using live face and body scanning in classrooms; and what discussions they have had with the Academy about it.

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the pause on the use of biometric facial recognition systems in schools in North Ayrshire Council to allow the Information Commissioner’s Office to investigate their legality, what discussions they have had with the Information Commissioner’s Office about when they will publish their findings; and why such technology is being rolled out in schools before the findings are published.

Baroness Barran: Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines the information for England only.The decision to use biometric technology rests entirely with individual schools and colleges, who must ensure that the use of biometric data complies with all relevant legislation. The department does provide guidance, which makes it clear that schools must comply with the law when implementing biometric technologies, including the Data Protection Act 2018, UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.In July 2022, the department published a revised version of the guidance, ‘Protection of biometric data of children in schools and colleges’, to provide support on the use of automated biometric recognition systems.Whilst the department has not held discussions with the Information Commissioner’s Office on the schools in North Ayrshire Council, the department has engaged with the Information Commissioner’s Office on the department’s updated guidance.

Family Hubs

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional Family Hubs over and above the funding already announced.

Baroness Barran: The government has announced 75 local authorities that are eligible to receive funding for family hubs. These were selected based on levels of disadvantage, targeting the areas with the highest levels of deprivation and disproportionately poor health and educational outcomes. Although we would like to see family hubs across the country, it is crucial that we now focus on delivering well in the local authorities already selected.The investment in family hubs is significant and will have a wide reach across the country to improve outcomes for thousands of babies, children, and families, helping to deliver this government’s levelling up ambitions. We are not starting from zero, many local authorities already provide excellent early years and family support services. The evidence and learning from this investment will help to improve services across England, where they are most needed.The department has set up the National Centre for Family Hubs (NCFH), to provide expert advice and guidance to all local authorities, local commissioners, academies, schools and third sector bodies with regards to transforming to family hubs. The NCFH hosts a comprehensive resource library and implementation toolkit to support family hubs providers. This work is supported by disseminating a regular newsletter, a series of learning events, and a community of practice. More information on the NCFH can be found here: https://www.nationalcentreforfamilyhubs.org.uk/.

Children in Care: Scotland

Lord Laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of children in the care of English local authorities being placed in Scotland.

Baroness Barran: In England, the responsibility for ensuring a looked-after child or young person is in the appropriate placement rests with local authorities as they are best placed to understand the specific needs of individual children in their care. Local authorities have a duty to ensure sufficient appropriate provision for all of the children they look after.The department recognises, however, that some local authorities sometimes find it difficult accessing the most appropriate accommodation, particularly for children with the most complex needs, and that children are sometimes placed in locations away from home, when they may be better served by a placement in their local area, were one available.The lack of available and suitable placements for the most vulnerable children is something this government takes seriously. With that in mind, the government is taking significant steps to support local authorities to fulfil their statutory duties. Between now and 2025, £259 million will be made available to develop and expand the provision of both secure and open homes, to reduce out of area placements, to provide for children with complex needs, and to promote innovative practice to maintain placement stability or prevent children from entering the care system.Recognising the urgency of action in placement sufficiency, and following the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, the department will also work with local authorities on recruiting more foster carers.

Classics: State Education

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage thestudying of Classics in state schools in England and Wales.

Baroness Barran: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.To encourage the study of classics in state schools in England, the department has launched the new £3.9 million Latin Excellence Programme (LEP), beginning in September 2022. The LEP will be delivered by the National Centre of Excellence and run by Future Academies, a multi-academy trust based in London.The aim of the LEP is to improve pupils’ attainment through increased access to, and uptake of, GCSE in Latin, whilst also contributing to pupils’ broader classics education. The National Centre of Excellence will work with up to 40 schools across the country to support high-quality key stage 3 and 4 teaching, using a common curriculum which teachers will be trained to deliver by the Centre.

Educational Institutions: Food

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to mitigate the impact of increased costs on the quality of the menus provided by education providers.

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that vulnerable school children receive a healthy, nutritious, and free hot meal every day, withoutaffectingthe sustainability of school budgets.

Baroness Barran: The department recognises the cost pressures that some schools and suppliers may be facing, and are holding regular meetings with other government departments and food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.Under the benefits-related criteria, the department provides a free, healthy meal to around 1.9 million children. This ensures they are well-nourished and can concentrate, learn and achieve in the classroom. Schools fund benefit-related free school meals (FSM) from their core funding, which they receive through the schools block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG). This is derived from the national funding formula (NFF). For the 2022/23 financial year, the funding schools attract through the FSM factor in the NFF is increasing to £470 per eligible pupil.Cost pressures should be seen in the wider context of funding for schools. In recognition of cost pressures, after the NFF rates were set, the department received additional funding from HM Treasury for core schools funding in the 2022/23 financial year, which we distributed through a schools supplementary grant. As a result of this additional funding, core schools funding for mainstream schools is increasing by £2.5 billion in the 2022/23 financial year, compared to last year.The department also spends around £600 million on Universal Infant Free School Meals each year. The per meal rate has been increased to £2.41, and backdated to 1 April 2022, in recognition of increased costs.Schools have the autonomy to agree individual contracts with school food suppliers and caterers. Schools and trusts can also utilise the department’s Get Help Buying for Schools Service, which provides specialist support, advice and guidance for schools around their procurement activity, including support for complex procurements such as catering and signposting to DfE recommended frameworks for schools and trusts.The standards for school food are set out in the requirements for school food regulations 2014 and are to ensure that schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.Schools also have flexibility under the School Food Standards to substitute food and regularly update and change menus. They may make changes if ingredients or meals are not readily available.

Family Hubs

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of Family Hubs and their efficacy.

Baroness Barran: The government announced a £301.75 million package to transform services for parents, carers, babies and children in half of the local authorities across England in the autumn 2021 Budget. This package will create a network of family hubs in those areas and builds on the £39.5 million already committed, which includes funding to support a further 12 local authorities to transform services to a family hub model.Family hubs are a place-based way of joining up locally in the planning and delivery of family services. They are a local innovation, developed to meet local needs and better support families.Through the family hubs programmes, the department will continue to learn and gather insights on family hub provision and their effectiveness. We will be building the evidence base through the evaluation of family hubs, both existing and new models, which will support local authorities with good practice on evaluation, implementation and outcomes of their family hubs services. Additionally, the department will be running behavioural insight projects to ensure take-up of family hub services by underrepresented families and we will also collect data, such as family hubs maturity and outcomes. This will help with developing effective family hubs.Further information on the evaluation of family hubs can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-family-hubs.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Accommodation

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average time that (1) adult prisoners, and (2) young offenders, are locked in their cells each day.

Lord Bellamy: (1) The information requested for adult prisoners is not held by the Ministry of Justice, as it would require the detailed daily monitoring of out of cell activity of each individual prisoner in each prison establishment. We undertake regular monitoring of regime levels in prisons and formally account for all time spent out of cell engaged in regime activities.There is no current central instruction prescribing the amount of time prisoners should spend out of their cells, however, there is a clear commitment to the delivery and performance management of time spent in purposeful activity. Governors have the flexibility to deliver balanced regimes that maintain an appropriate level of time out of cell on a range of activities such as education and employment which meet the needs of the establishment’s population with a heavy focus on reducing reoffending. This is alongside basic access to time in the open air and domestic services such showers.We do see impact on time spent out of cell that can result from staffing availability and from operational incidents.This government has committed to prison regime reform in the Prison Strategy White Paper and will set clearer stands for time spent in prison. A new Purposeful Activity performance measure has been introduced for the 2022/23 performance period which will drive delivery. Additional measures are in place for attendance at work, education, interventions and services. These will over time give more detailed information than that currently available.(2) While we do not collect information on time during which young people are locked in their rooms, information is held regarding time spent out of room. In July 2022, the average time out of room offered in Youth Offender Institutions was 5 hours 50 minutes: of that, an average of 5 hours 15 minutes was taken.

Ministry of Defence

Navy: Training

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Royal Navy pilots are currently in advanced flying training to fly F35Bs.

Baroness Goldie: The Royal Navy currently has less than five pilots on the advanced flying course at Royal Air Force Valley. This course is the prerequisite to progressing to the F-35 Operational Conversion Unit. The Lightning Force qualified F-35 pilot strength is sufficient for its Very High Readiness status and all current operational requirements.

Defence: Energy

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the effect of increases in energy costs on the defence budget; and what effect they anticipate such increases will have on defence procurement programmes.

Baroness Goldie: High energy costs, which drive inflation, will reduce the Ministry of Defence's spending power over the Spending Review period and beyond. However, due to its volatility, a precise estimate of the impact of inflation is challenging. Our existing controls will substantially limit exposure and we keep our programmes under constant financial review, using our contingency to manage risks if they materialise.

Reserve Forces

Lord De Mauley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the 'Quarterly service personnel statistics 1 April 2022',what are the figures for reserve personnel,divided by service into (1) officers, and (2) other ranks, and by (a) strength, (b) inflow, and (c) outflow.

Lord De Mauley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the 'Quarterly service personnel statistics 1 April 2022', when the quarterly figures ceased showing reserve officers and other ranks separately; and why they continue to do so for regulars but not reserves.

Baroness Goldie: The requested breakdowns by strength, intake and outflow are provided in the attached spreadsheets. The Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics (QSPS) 1 April 2022 contain the breakdown for the Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) in Tables 6a (trained strength) and 6b (untrained strength) by Officers and Other Ranks. Combining the totals and sub-totals of these tables provides the total FR20 strength by service, broken down by Officers and Other Ranks. While the figures for FR20 intake and outflow split by Officers and Other Ranks have not been included in current or previous editions of the QSPS publication, FR20 intake and outflow by service (as a whole) are available in tables 7b and 7c.HL2092 - Armed Forces Statistics (xlsx, 25.7KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what would be the level of the benefit cap, set in 2016, if it had kept pace with (1) inflation, (2) average earnings, and (3) Universal Credit rates.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: There is a statutory duty to review the levels of the cap at least once in every five years and this will happen at the appropriate time. The current unusual economic period with potentially counter intuitive and shifting trends will need to be considered in the context of any decision regarding a review. The benefit cap provides a strong work incentive and fairness for hard-working taxpaying households and encourages people to move into work, where possible. The Government firmly believes that where possible it is in the best interests of children to be in working households and the benefit cap provides a clear incentive to move into work. The table below shows the weekly benefit cap level if it had kept pace with (1) inflation and (2) average earnings. To provide the levels of the benefit cap had it kept pace with Universal Credit rates is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.  InflationAverage earningsLondon couples/lone parents£496.51£529.06London single adult£332.67£354.47Excluding London couples/lone parents£431.75£460.05Excluding London single adult£289.27£308.23 The earnings and inflation measure used for uprating DWP benefits have been used. Inflation and earnings source: House of Commons, Benefit Uprating 2022/23, Table 5 (February 2022).

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Birds: Gun Sports

Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the number of woodcock shot annually in each of the last 10 years; and what discussions they have held, if any, with Natural England in relation to the effect of shooting woodcock on the status of woodcock.

Lord Benyon: Data for the number of woodcock shot in each of the last ten years has not been collated. However, there are publicly available game bag returns for the period 1961-2005 through the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust website (https://www.gwct.org.uk/research/long-term-monitoring/national-gamebag-census/bird-bags-summary-trends/woodcock/). Where shooting occurs on protected sites, some bag return reports may be requirements of consent by Natural England. In response to a request from Defra, Natural England has submitted a briefing to Defra which considered woodcock ecology, population status and possible drivers of woodcock decline (including hunting). Defra intends to review Schedule 2 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which lists species of birds which may be killed or taken outside a close season. In particular, consideration will be given to the evidence underpinning the listing of species such as woodcock so that we can ensure that recreational shooting is sustainable and does not undermine species recovery. This may include a review of the evidence for the timing and duration of the close season.

Agriculture and Food Supply: Carbon Dioxide and Fertilisers

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to ensure the availability of fertiliser and carbon dioxide to the farming and food sectors following the announcement by CF Fertilisers that they are halting production in the UK.

Lord Benyon: It is disappointing that CF Fertilisers has taken the decision to halt ammonia production at Billingham. However, since last autumn the CO2 market’s resilience has improved, with additional imports, further production from existing sources such as anaerobic digestion and bioethanol and better stockpiles. We expect the supply of ammonia (from imports by CF Fertilisers) and production of nitric acid and fertiliser to be unaffected. While the Government continues to examine options for the market to improve resilience over the longer term, we urge industry to do anything it can to meet demand, which is in the best interest of businesses and the public. National Fertiliser Supplies CF Fertilisers produces ammonium nitrate fertiliser and nitric acid in the UK at Billingham. The company expects to fulfil all ammonia and nitric acid contracts and all orders of Ammonium Nitrate contracted for delivery in the coming months. The supply and price of these products is a commercial matter for CF Fertilisers, and we expect supply to continue. While global fertiliser prices have risen, the supply chain providing imports of fertiliser to the UK has remained dynamic. We are continuing to monitor the security and stability of fertiliser and other supply chains and work closely with colleagues across government and devolved administrations as well as industry figures. Carbon Dioxide Supplies Defra is working with sector stakeholders to encourage contingency planning and resilience and understand that various CO2 supply companies in the UK are working on or have secured additional CO2 to mitigate shortages. We are confident CO2 stocks are secure for the coming winter.

Home Office

Asylum

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers have reached the UK having first registered in a Council of Europe country in each of the last five years; of those asylum seekers, how many first registered in Ireland; and from where did the asylum seekers who first registered in Ireland originally travel.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office does not hold data on asylum seekers who have previously registered in a Council of Europe Country. However, data is available through the Eurodac system for asylum seekers who have previously made an asylum claim in EU+ (EU, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Switzerland) countries and then made a further claim in UK. This data is only available for the period prior to the UK leaving the EU and the Eurodac system. The relevant available data has been extracted and presented in the table below. It is subject to the same caveats as the Eurodac system from which it is derived. As such, it is a count of Eurodac ‘hits’, not individuals or claims. For example, an individual applying once in the UK, who has previously applied once each in Germany, France and Italy, would produce 3 hits, one for each prior application. Data on where journeys began is unfortunately unavailable. YearEurodac hits linked to EU+Eurodac hits linked to IrelandSource (linked)202019,599948Eurodac Annual Report 2020201913,089703Eurodac Annual Report 2019201810,057355Eurodac Annual Report 201820177,079253Eurodac Annual Report 2017Note: Category 1 data against category 1 data only   The United Kingdom and Ireland have a regular dialogue relating to the operation of the Common Travel Area where issues such as border security risks and shared immigration challenges are discussed.Those who fear persecution should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – this is the fastest route to safety. Ireland is a safe country and, as such, it would not be appropriate for individuals to travel to the UK from Ireland to claim asylum.The Government has previously raised with Ireland concerns about individuals exploiting the Common Travel Area generally to reach the United Kingdom to seek asylum, most recently in May of this year.

Human Trafficking and Refugees: Children

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to end the practice of placing unaccompanied refugee, migrant, or trafficked children in hotels without supervision.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The UK is experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of people making life-threatening journeys to cross the Channel. These boats are often carrying unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), which have placed unprecedented pressure on the National Transfer Scheme. Out of necessity with the children’s best interests in mind, we have arranged for UASC to be accommodated on an emergency and temporary basis in hotels whilst placements with local authorities are being vigorously pursued.The rise in dangerous small boats crossings means there are significant challenges on local authority care places. The Government has had no alternative but to urgently use hotels to give UASC arriving in the UK a roof over their heads. The Government wants to stop using these hotels but the Home Office cannot do this alone. We are working round the clock with councils to boost the number of long-term care spaces available, through the New Plan for Immigration, and are offering them additional funding in addition to existing monthly funding.The National Transfer Scheme (NTS) enables a more equitable distribution of responsibility for UASC between local authorities across the UK. However, the high number of UASC arrivals, particularly as a result of small boat crossings, continues to place unprecedented pressure on the NTS.In November 2021, we took the decision to move to a directed NTS, in addition to the package of NTS improvements implemented in July 2021. Since 15 February all local authorities with children’s services in the UK have been directed to participate in the NTS. However, intake remains very high, and the situation remains challenging.We continue to take action to ensure the NTS works effectively so that children are transferred promptly and to end the use of hotels.On 24 August 2022, we wrote to all UK local authorities and devolved equivalents with children’s services, announcing changes to the NTS. We have increased the threshold up to which councils have to accept UASC into their care from the previous level of 0.07% to 0.1% of their general child population, halved the transfer deadline to five working-days for all UASC not currently in the care of a local authority, and for UASC awaiting transfer into local authority care, we will provide councils with an additional £2000 per child per month for 3 months.It is not the case that these children are unsupervised. UASC temporarily accommodated in hotels are supported with wrap-around care, including from professional care workers, social workers, and nurses.

Refugees: Climate Change

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decisions by the governments of Canada, Finland and Sweden to broaden their definition of refugee to include people affected by climate change; and what plans they have, if any, to amend their definition similarly.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Every asylum claim is carefully considered on its individual merits by assessing all the evidence provided by the claimant against a background of country information from a wide range of credible sources. Refugee status is granted when someone has a well-founded fear of persecution under the Refugee Convention for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. They must show that they cannot seek protection from the authorities in their country and cannot reasonably move to another part of their country to avoid persecution. Climate change is not covered in the Refugee Convention as grounds for a well-founded fear of persecution and we do not have any plans to broaden this definition. We recognise however, that climate change will increasingly become a significant factor in driving migration. Evidence shows that climate extremes and environmental degradation are often amplifiers of other principal migration drivers. For those who do not have a well-founded fear of persecution for a convention reason, we consider whether they are at risk of serious harm and are in need of protection on humanitarian grounds. This ensures that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin. If protection is not required, we consider if there are any family or private life reasons, medical reasons, or other exceptional circumstances that would warrant a grant of leave. Decisions to migrate can have several causes and we regularly engage with our international partners in other countries on this important issue. We recognise the importance of providing people with options for sustainable livelihoods that do not compel them to migrate. As climate change increases its impact on migration it is imperative that efforts are redoubled to limit warming and to help vulnerable people to adapt to change. Climate change is a reality that requires greater and more coordinated adaptation and mitigation planning.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the 20,000 individuals who crossed the channel in small boats in order to seek asylum from the beginning of 2022 have been identified as being Albanian citizens.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office publishes quarterly statistics on irregular migration, including the nationalities of those arriving by small boat on gov.uk.12,747 people crossed the Channel by small boat in the first six months of this year, and 17% of those were declared as Albanian nationals.Figures on irregular migration to the UK up to the end of September 2022 will be published on 24 November 2022. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’ on gov.uk.

Domestic Abuse: Older People

Baroness Fookes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide additional financial assistance to the charity Hourglass to ensure it can continue to support older victims of domestic abuse and neglect.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: We know that domestic abuse affects a wide and disparate group and that a “one size fits all” approach is not appropriate to support all victims. Whilst anyone can suffer from domestic abuse, for older victims, abuse may be more hidden and disguised, or compounded by other age-related factors such as ill health.Specialist and ‘by and for’ services (specialist services that are designed and delivered by and for the users and communities they aim to serve) are vital in providing the tailored support that victims and survivors of domestic abuse need. We work closely with and fund organisations providing this support, including Hourglass. In 2021/22, the Home Office provided Hourglass funding to support their work in enhancing their helpline, providing casework support, and training specialist Independent Domestic Violence Advisers. This financial year we have continued to provide Hourglass with funding to continue their activity supporting older victims of domestic abuse. In 2021/22 Hourglass supported over 3,000 cases. Our Tackling VAWG Strategy commits £1.5 million to increase provision for ‘by and for’ services and to increase funding for specialist services. Alongside this, our Domestic Abuse Plan commits to, where possible, offering multi-year awards to funding to organisations supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This means that smaller organisations, including ‘by and for’ services, can offer a stable service to victims and survivors. To deliver against these strategic commitments, later this year, we plan to run an open commercial competition for ‘by and for’ and specialist VAWG services, including those providing domestic abuse services for older victims.

British Nationality: Assessments

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 26 July (HL2043), how many test centres were administering Life in the UK tests each month in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, and (4) to date in 2022.

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 26 July (HL2043), how many Life in the UK tests were sat each month in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, and (4) to date in 2022.

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 25 July 2022 (HL 1710), how many Life in the UK test centres have been checking that individuals had waited at least seven days since their last test; and what methods they have been using to monitor this.

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 25 July 2022 (HL 1710), how many individuals have sat the Life in the UK test without waiting at least seven days since their last test.

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 25 July 2022 (HL 1710), what assessment they have made of the requirement that a Life in the UK test be sat no more than once every seven days; and when this requirement was introduced.

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 25 July (HL1710), what assessmentthey havemade of the discrepancy between the use of the words "must" and "should" in the Home Office Guide AN: Naturalisation Booklet: The Requirements and the Process, published on 28 June, which states that individuals must wait seven days after failing a citizenship test, and the GOV.UK website which states that individuals should wait seven days.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Life in the UK testing is provided and hosted by PSI Services (UK) Limited who operate a self-booking process. Candidates are able to book tests in multiple slots; they are not limited by the system as to how frequently a test can be taken and there has never been a formal requirement for customers to wait seven days before taking a test again. The seven day wait before re-taking a test is a suggestion in order to aid candidates’ personal preparation. Given there is no requirement, no checks are conducted by test centres, or the online booking system, on the length of time a candidate has waited for their test.Guidance on gov.uk is being updated to reflect that there is no requirement to wait seven days.Information on the number of test centres administering Life in the UK tests each month and the number of Life in the UK tests sat each month in 2019 – 2022 is not available in a reportable format. However the number of tests taken each quarter in relation to citizenship and settlement applications can be found on gov.uk.

Slavery

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of section 68 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 on the rights of victims of modern slavery.

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government which articles and sections of Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking they have identified as being incompatible with the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government remains committed to tackling the scourge of modern slavery.Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combatting trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims (the “EU Trafficking Directive”) was adopted on 5 April 2011.The Nationality and Borders Act provides legislative clarity to victims and decision makers on victims’ rights, including the entitlement to a recovery period and the circumstances in which confirmed victims may be granted permission to stay.Section 68 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 disapplied the EU Trafficking Directive insofar as it was incompatible with provisions made by that Act. The provisions in Section 68 aim to ensure that if there is any provision within the EU Directive that operates on the same subject as the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, whether support for victims or otherwise, there is no confusion as to which applies.The Government believes that that if there is any provision within the Directive that operates on the same subject as the 2022 Act, whether support for victims or otherwise, it is right that people are not confused as to which applies. More broadly, the Government does not believe that any of the Directive’s provisions have been given direct effect by a domestic court and so does not have effect as retained EU law.This provision does not result in a diminution below the standards laid down in the EU Trafficking Directive, nor does section 68 remove any entitlements from victims. This legal clarification will not have an impact on victim identification, protection and support provided through the National Referral Mechanism.

British Nationality: Assessments

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with regard to the Life in the UK test, whether the test still asks applicants about information in the official test handbook third edition on (1) the UK's membership of the EU, (2) the number of EU Member States, and (3) the names of all EU Member States; and if not, when the material was removed.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: All questions on the EU in the Life in the UK test were removed on our departure from the EU on the 31 January 2020 at 23.00.An errata slip was added to existing stock of the official test handbook third edition to confirm that customers would not be asked any questions on the EU, or the UK’s relationship with the EU as part of the Home Office approved test. The relevant sections were then removed from subsequent prints of the handbook.

Slavery

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the Modern Slavery Bill announced in the 2022 Queen's Speech.

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they (1) have had, and (2) plan to undertake, with respect to the Modern Slavery Bill announced in the 2022 Queen's Speech.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: My Rt Hon friend the Home Secretary will set out the Government’s plans for modern slavery legislation in due course.

Madeleine McCann

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 6 December 2021 (HL4255), whether funding for Operation Grange has now ceased; and if not, (1) for what reason it has been extended, and (2) how much longer funding will continue.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office continues to provide funding for Operation Grange; in 2022/23 we will provide up to £303k funding to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to cover continuing costs. The Home Office maintains an ongoing dialogue with the MPS regarding funding for Operation Grange and all applications are made and considered in line with Special Grant processes.

Visas

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many emergency visas have been issued by the Home Office, in accordance with the discretionary powers of the Secretary of State, in the last five years.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The UK does not have an emergency visa system. The Home Secretary has discretion to grant Leave Outside The Rules (LOTR) on compelling compassionate grounds; however, we do not maintain a record of those granted LOTR.

Domestic Service: Migrant Workers

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many confirmed victims of modern day slavery have been issued with an overseas domestic worker visa; and what percentage this represents of the total number of confirmed victims of modern day slavery.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Modern slavery data and visa data are held on separate databases and the information requested is not currently available.

Knives: Crime

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to reduce knife crime in London.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Whilst the Mayor of London has operational responsibility for policing in the capital, this Government is committed to providing additional resources to the police and their partners to tackle violent crime and make our streets safer. To support the prevention of violence in London, we have allocated the London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) c.£33.7m since 2019, including ac.£12.6m allocation for this financial year (2022/23). The VRU also received an additional investment of £5.5m in 2021/22 to deliver specific, highly targeted interventions to vulnerable young people. The London VRU delivers multiple initiatives that are projected to support over 5,300 young people in the capital next year. We are also providing additional funding to enable the Metropolitan Police to increase enforcement activity where most violence occurs, through our Grip programme (previously known as Surge). The Metropolitan Police have been allocated approximately £50.9m over the last three years, including £7.9m for this financial year (2022/23) for Grip. Through this programme, the Metropolitan Police are delivering data-driven, targeted visible patrols to suppress violence where it is most concentrated. Whilst the Mayor of London has operational responsibility for policing in the capital, the Government continues to encourage police forces to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Operation Sceptre. The latest phase of the operation took place between 16 to 22 May 2022. In the Metropolitan and City Police areas 126 knives were seized during enforcement action with a further 90 being surrendered or seized during sweeps. The Home Office has invested £200m over 10 years in early intervention and prevention initiatives to help children and young people at risk of exploitation and involvement in serious violence, through the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF). This will support how the Government responds to serious violence by identifying what works in diverting children and young people away from involvement in serious violence. Currently the YEF has invested around £50m on interventions and evaluations around London.Grip, VRU & YEF funding are provided in addition to the commitment to increase the number of police officers in England and Wales by 20,000 by March 2023. As of 30 June 2022, the MPS has recruited an additional 2,952 uplift officers against a total three-year allocation of 4,557 officers.

British Nationality: Children

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 6 July (HL Deb cols 1067–1071),how many applications for the discretionary fee waiver on grounds of non-affordability have been received; how many of those applications (1) were successful, and (2) were rejected; and what other options were considered with reference to the fee itself in advance of the final stage impact assessment.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Following introduction of the discretionary fee waiver for child citizenship registration applications on 16 June 2022, the Home Office will be carrying out regular review of the number of applications received, as well as the proportion of applications that have been successful or rejected. Information to support this review is currently in the process of being collated, reviewed and assured, and we are therefore not in a position to share figures at this time. We are however considering the best mechanism for updating Parliament with this information and will do so at the earliest appropriate opportunity.A range of options were considered in relation to the child citizenship registration fee prior to the final stage impact assessment, including a fee reduction. As the then Minister for Safe and Legal Migration outlined in his Written Ministerial Statement of 26 May, the department’s view, having considered the different options, is that the introduction of a fee waiver based on affordability represents the most effective means of better facilitating children’s access to citizenship, while protecting the sustainable funding of the borders and migration system. This funding supports delivery of the department’s key functions, while reducing reliance on the UK taxpayer.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many persons have been accepted to date in the UK under the Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will see up to 20,000 people from Afghanistan and the region resettled to the UK, over the coming years.Under pathway one of the ACRS, individuals being resettled will be some of those already evacuated and in the UK. They include women’s rights activists, journalists, and prosecutors, and Afghan family members of British Nationals.At 12 Aug 2022, the UK has welcomed 21,450 people to the UK from Afghanistan - or a neighbouring country - since June 2021. However, we are unable, at this time, to provide a breakdown of how many people have been granted resettlement specifically under the ACRS.Officials are working at pace to assure information relating to the individuals resettling in the UK under the ACRS on case working systems. Once this work concludes, the Home Office will include Afghan resettlement statistics in its quarterly Immigration Statistics publications.Until then the factsheet will be updated every quarter – with the next iteration scheduled for publication on 24 November 2022.We have now begun to receive the first referrals for resettlement under pathway 2 of the ACRS – which opened in June - from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). We anticipate receiving referrals from the UNHCR for up to 2,000 refugees, who have already fled Afghanistan, during the first year of this pathway - although this number will be kept under review - and we look forward to welcoming the first new arrivals under this pathway in due course.Finally, the FCDO also launched a third referral pathway, in June, which will see up to 1,500 eligible British Council and GardaWorld contractors, Chevening alumni - and their dependents - in Afghanistan, considered for resettlement to the UK.The window for expressions of interest (EOIs) to resettle under the ACRS pathway 3 closed on 15 August 2022. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is in the process of reviewing all EOIs in the order in which they were received.

Refugees: Housing

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they taketo ensure that adequate housing is available for all refugees throughout the UK.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Our resettlement schemes offer a safe and legal route to the UK for vulnerable refugees in need of protection. We work on a daily basis with local government to ensure we meet our international and statutory obligations to provide accommodation for all refugees.Before committing to offer resettlement places, a local authority needs to think about whether they have, or are able to put in place, the accommodation and support needed to ensure the appropriate care and resettlement of people in need of our help.For all Afghan nationals seeking accommodation through the various Afghan refugee pathways, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) have created a Housing Portal to make it easier for councils to assess the suitability of properties prior to contacting landlords. Offers of property are triaged by DLUHC and sent directly to councils. We are also looking at ways to make more suitable homes available in the private rental sector by engaging with landlords, letting agencies and industry bodies to promote the housing portal and encourage participation in the resettlement programme. We are also working with the estate agent, Rightmove, to identify potential properties available in the private rental sector.DLUHC have also introduced the Find Your Own Accommodation scheme which empowers Afghan families to source their own accommodation, rather than the Home Office. They will need to secure agreement, from their new local authority, that they will continue to receive ongoing integration support from them, once they have moved into their new home.Migrant Help provide support to service users following a positive decision via the AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) contract. Positive move on advice is designed to help service users to integrate into the UK. Migrant Help provide advice and information on the steps service users need to take to secure access to accommodation, mainstream welfare payments and employment, when someone leaves Home Office support and/or accommodation, following a grant of asylum or some other form of leave. Migrant Help offer both telephone and face to face appointments to help service users understand their circumstances and signpost to relevant organisations.

Detention Centres: Construction

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have announced plans for a new immigration detention centre creating an additional capacity for 400 men.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The immigration removal estate is kept under ongoing review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient resilience, geographical footprint and capacity for the men and women it proves necessary to detain for the purposes of removal, while providing value for money.As the previous Prime Minister said in April, the Government is expanding its immigration detention facilities to remove those with no right to remain in the UK. In June 2022, the Home Office announced the first stages of procurement to operate a new immigration removal centre (IRC) on the site of the former Campsfield House, Oxfordshire. Our plans for the site of the former Campsfield House IRC are part of that expansion. The new IRC, which will be a secure facility and will accommodate around 400 men, will not be operational until at least late 2023.

Home Office: Email

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Traffordon 26 July (HL1712), why the cost of an email enquiry via SITEL UK changed from £5.48 per email between March 2017 and April 2021, to £2.74 per email since May 2021.

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) SITEL UK, or (2) Teleperformance, provide a call charge service; and if so, whether the fee has changed from £1.37 per minute.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: From 5th October 2020 customers applying for visas from outside the UK who choose to make contact by e-mail will be charged £2.74 per e-mail. This includes the initial e-mail enquiry plus any follow-up e-mails to and from the contact centre relating to the same enquiry. E-mails are sent via a web message form on www.gov.uk.Customers calling UKVI from outside the UK will be charged 69p per minute (plus their local network charge).These charges were reduced by 50% against the previous charges (£1.37 per minute for calls and £5.48 per email enquiry). The previous charges were reviewed in 2020. As part of that review, operational commercial improvement opportunities were identified, enabling the charges to be reduced. The supplier of UKVI’s international email and telephony services and in country telephony services changed from Sitel, to Teleperformance during a handover period between 31st March 2021 and 28 April 2021.

UK Border Force: Calais

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) shortages of UK Border Force staff in Calais, and (2) the impact of any such shortages on delays to entry to the UK; and what (a) plans they have, and (b) timescale they have established, to address any such shortages.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: We understand it can be frustrating to have to wait to go through the UK border, but the safety and security of the public will always be our number one priority. There are many factors that influence wait times and we continue to work closely with port operators, industry partners and our French counterparts, to ensure officers are deployed flexibly and when required to meet demand and support passengers. It is important to note that whilst it may appear that there are shortages of staff when queues form, Border Force resource is deployed not just to carry out essential checks at the border, but also to detect harmful goods and safeguard vulnerable and exploited individuals, which means that at times not all border control points will be open.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they plan to offer Ukrainian refugees housed with British families when the initial six month period of the Homes for Ukraine scheme ends.

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: As we move towards the next phase of the programme, we have set out options and support available to sponsors and guests that are coming to the end of their initial six-month sponsorship. Updated guidance is published on gov.uk for sponsors, guests, and local councils. This includes information on rematching, and helping guests to live independently by providing guidance on the UK housing market, support in developing necessary language skills and finding jobs.The guidance for the Homes for Ukraine guests, hosts and councils setting out all the support options available to them can be accessed (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils#four-to-6-months-after-guests-have-moved-to-your-areaFour to 6 months after guests have moved area (docx, 16.7KB)